


To Thine Ownself Be True

by Leech24



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avengers - Freeform, BAMF Pepper Potts, Bruce banner (mentioned) - Freeform, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mistakes, Misunderstandings, Nick Fury is Not Amused, Not Beta Read, Possibly a trigger warning, READ NOTES, Slight mentions of suicidal behaviors, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Thor (mentioned) - Freeform, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has Issues, slight bullying, slightly OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leech24/pseuds/Leech24
Summary: "He looks at her, eyes wide and full of incredulity.To her credit, Natasha continues as though she hadn't just encouraged a man to kill himself."
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41
Collections: Avengers Favorites, AvengersGen





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It was RDJs birthday and I just really missed the time when it was just the original six (don't get me wrong, I love most of the new ones too), so I wrote a version of a very old, very overdone trope from the Avengers 2012 era. Really itching for some good, old fashioned hurt/comfort and who better to take it out on than Tony Freaking Stark? 
> 
> It's been a while since I wrote this genre and the characters might be slightly OOC. Do let me know if it comes across this way. 
> 
> Also, just a trigger warning: slight reference to suicidal behaviour but nothing graphic or intense.

Tony knew for a while that his position on the team was perched on precarious grounds, long before any of his "team" had the opportunity to bring it up. In fact, he was largely prepared to talk about it, planning to mask it with his trademark brand of indifference to make it seem like he didn't mind being the 'consultant'. He was a genius, a successful entrepreneur, rich and famous, and most of all, a survivor. So what if he wasn't designated the mere title of hero, Tony knows he's no hero. He's just a guy with a suit. 

Heroes are self-sacrificing, altruistic, _likable_ people and he's acutely aware of the fact that he is neither of those things.

_The only thing you really fight for is yourself._

He's not reliable. 

_You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play._

He's not well-liked.

_You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero._

And he's definitely not a hero.

The genius is jolted into the present by a firm hand on his shoulder and a pair of angry blue eyes staring at him. In retrospect, he always thought that this would come up in a different conversation, preferably one recognizing him as a valuable member of the team rather than an expendable member of the team but he supposes nothing really goes his way. Ever. 

"Have you been ignoring me, Tony? Did you hear a word I just said?"

He figures he must have zoned out for a lot longer than he thought because the captain sounds less angry than when he started, and more disappointed. He puts on the most convincing smile he can muster and looks at Steve. 

"No." Tony pauses. "Maybe. Yes. It's hard to keep listening when you sound like my mom, it's just a natural instinct to tune you out. Nothing personal." 

Behind Steve, Tony hears Clint scoff at the answer while Steve's face becomes angry again. 

"Well, I can't help but feel like it **is** personal, Tony. You endangered our chances _and_ our safety, so please, can you at least pretend to care about the consequences?" 

"You think I don't care?" _Did I hear that right?_

"You haven't exactly convinced us otherwise, _Stark_ ," says Clint. 

"Hey, stay out of this, Birdbrain." 

Clint, who has taken clear offense to being called names, makes a sudden move to get in Tony's face but is stopped by Steve's hand who gives the archer a look of warning. 

"Calm down, Clint. It's not worth it." 

_"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you."_

While Tony was busy glaring at Clint, Natasha sighs loudly. She takes a step forward towards the billionaire and levels him with her most stern expression.

Tony was never one to test her patience but he's tempted to try every time she treats him like a child. When he thinks about it, they all do. 

"Would it ever hurt you to think about your actions for once? Or does everything have to turn into a tantrum?" she says. 

Maybe it was because he was exhausted, or the fact that he was bruised and battered from the fight before, but the filter in this brain meant to protect him from saying dumb shit, chooses this moment to stop working. 

"Oh that's rich coming from you. If you're about to lecture me on action and consequence, _Ms. Rushman,_ then please excuse me while I go shoot myself in the head." 

Natasha's gaze hardens immediately and calmly reaches for her holster. Tony's suddenly worried he might actually get shot in the head but instead, she slowly pulls the gun from her waist and offers it to him. 

"No need to leave, feel free to do so _right here_." 

Tony knows he's not the only one that feels the temperature drop several degrees as the weight of her gesture sinks in. He looks at her, eyes wide and full of incredulity. He can see Steve and Clint frozen in place from the corner of his eyes as well as they try to grasp what's happening. In the meantime, Natasha's eyes have locked on to Tony's, her stare intense, unwavering, and scarily sincere.

He's brought out of his shock at the sound of Natasha's voice again as she focuses on her holstering her gun. 

"So now that we've established your flair for theater, let's get back to the matter at hand." 

Tony remains uncharacteristically silent, still too stunned to rebut her accusation. To her credit, Natasha continues as though she hadn't just encouraged a man to kill himself. 

"It's exactly this kind of childish behavior that landed you on this team as a consultant and not an avenger." 

Now that get's a reaction from everyone. Steve and Clint are taken aback at first and Tony muses that maybe they hadn't really known and he has some chance at redemption, but it doesn't take Clint long to chime in about it. 

"Well that certainly explains a few things, namely your complete disregard for the rest of us. This makes benching you a lot easier and Steve can save his breath for a lecture that might actually stick." 

Hurt by Clint's casual acceptance, Tony makes short eye contact with Natasha before turning to the captain of the team, hoping that Steve has something less harsh and more constructive to offer. However, he should have known his luck doesn't run so far. 

"If I had known earlier that you aren't an avenger, I would have established clearer boundaries. I can't have you joining us on calls, Stark, not without the proper clearance and if your assigned duties are of a different capacity, then I have to honor that. I'm sorry, Stark." 

At least he wasn't being intentionally cruel like Clint or Natasha but it still stung to hear Steve be so easily dismissive of him. Tony thought he had built a slightly better reputation than that.

He continues to stare at the captain, desperately recalling any one of the hundreds of imaginary conversations he planned out in his head for moments like these but keeps coming up short. Like a hard drive that had been completely wiped, Tony is unable to form a single thought. With a shattered resolve and both a bruised body _and_ ego, the genius gathers the last of his self-respect, puts on an empty smile, and says, 

"Okay then. I'll see you around." 

And promptly walks away. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Considering all of the traumatic events in Tony’s life that could inevitably lead up to this exact moment, Pepper wonders how it took so long to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, I was gonna make this chapter longer but figured I'll break it up a little bit. LOL

Pepper thinks of her herself as a determined woman who’s not only fearless and competent, but also _unflinchingly_ self-assured. 

Because anyone who can date Tony Stark for longer than three hours must have the patience of a saint and the persistence of a damn bull. 

But she’s not complaining. She’s been with Tony for as long as she has because she loves him. Sure, he’s got his quirks and yes, he’s hard headed and rarely listens but the man has never failed to be there for her when it mattered. It’s the reason why she deals with not only his stubbornness and hovering, but also his obsessive need to protect everyone but himself, his passion for his work, his loyalty that smothers her, and his genius that carries him away. She puts up with all of those things because that’s the Tony she fell in love with.

She also knows that Tony has come a long way in the last couple of years, and she suspects that having to fly a nuke into space that was meant to kill him has really changed him as person. Probably for the worse than for the better. It hurts to see what used to be effortless charm be replaced by a ghost of a smile that looks fraudulent even to the untrained eye. 

Considering all of the traumatic events in Tony’s life that could inevitably lead up to this exact moment, Pepper wonders how it took so long to happen. However, she‘s curious as what exactly, after all this time, triggered such a severe response in the genius that would cause him to resort to such withdrawn behaviours. 

_How did we get here?_ she thinks.

“Tony, I know you don’t wanna talk about...whatever it is that’s bothering you,” Pepper says through the intercom, “but I thought we had finally established open communication. That we established _trust_.” 

That’s a low blow and she knows it but the woman's getting desperate. 

“Do you not trust me, Tony?” 

Pepper presses her hand against the glass door as she continues to watch the other man sit facing away from her. She gives him a moment, letting him take the lead on what happens next but is also prepared to override her way into the workshop should it come to that. 

Thankfully, she’s spared from such drastic measures when Tony is seen turning his head slightly to face Pepper. She sees his mouth moving, assumes he must be talking to J.A.R.V.I.S. and is proven correct when the door suddenly unlocks with a hiss. She prepares herself for the blast of music to come through but is shocked when there’s only silence from the other side. 

Whatever doubts she had earlier have increased tenfold now. 

The CEO takes a tentative step inside, carefully avoiding the delicate pieces of equipment laying around. As she moves towards her boyfriend, she notices that he hasn't yet turned to face her fully. Pepper extends a delicate hand and places it softly on his shoulder, to which Tony reacts by finally turning around. 

“Hey,” he says. “I’m sorry for...making you wait. I just...needed to think.”

His voice carries over with a softness that seemed wrong coming from. Tony is loud and excited and boisterous. This subdued version of him is just unnerving in so many ways. 

“I figured as much," she says.

A few beats of silence follow as Pepper regards the other man while he desperately looks at everything else but her. 

“Is everything alright, Tony?” Pepper’s voice is but a whisper, though in the eerie silence of the room (which was completely unnatural), she may have just shouted at the top of her lungs. “This isn’t like you. Talk to me.” 

The blankness on Tony’s face is suddenly filled with a look of regret as he turns around to face his girlfriend properly. He’s still avoiding eye contact but moves to grab Pepper’s small hands and holds onto them on his lap. When he talks, he sounds almost guilty. 

“I _do_ trust you, Pepper,” he says, referring to her earlier inquiry. “Nothing in the world would ever change that. I just needed to figure some stuff out on my own.” 

“And did you?” she prods. 

Tony sighs and shakes his head slightly. “No. I don’t think I did.” 

Pepper gently removes one of her hands from Tony’s grasp to grab a chair from nearby, and places it directly across from Tony. She takes a seat and places her free hand on top of his. 

“Well, maybe I can help you figure things out then,” she adds. “You know you can tell me anything.” 

Tony looks up to meet her gaze and smiles softly. Something akin to affection is laced in his smile and he gently cups her face with his hand. 

“I really don’t deserve you, Pep,” he whispers. 

Pepper smiles fondly as she whispers back, “no, you really don’t.” 

The two of them laugh softly before Tony begins to relay the morning’s events to her. About how he was responsible for a near fatal accident during their mission, how he zoned out during Steve’s lecture, and how Natasha had so casually suggested he kill himself when all he did was sass her. Well, he didn’t tell her exactly what happened with Natasha but Pepper was persistent if not inquisitive, and Tony was highly confident that she would find out through her own means. 

When he’s done explaining to her the many things that went wrong, Tony notices a little too late the sheer antagonistic blaze of fury in her eyes. Intuitively, he knows it’s not directed at him but it still gives him the chills. He already feels sorry for whoever bumps shoulders with her on her way out. 

In the meantime, Pepper is furious. She didn’t know that Tony wasn’t an official avenger, that he worked as a consultant _for_ SHIELD. But more than that, she doesn't understand why Tony never told her. 

Deciding to field these thoughts for another conversation, Pepper refocuses on a more serious issue. Tony was hiding something from her, and she knows that because she didn’t miss the way he stumbled over the part about Natasha, struggling to cover up the details of the very thing that may have sent him in lock down in the first place. _Something_ must have happened in that short span of time because Tony, for all his theatrics, never tried to make a point in private. If he wanted to put to Natasha in her place, he would have done so on the spot and none would be the wiser. 

Resolving herself to dig deeper, likely with the help of J.A.R.V.I.S., she focuses her attention back on Tony. Pepper offers him a gentle smile when he looks at her nervously and says, “That sounds...complicated. We’ll talk about the consultant thing later but for now, let’s go grab some lunch because knowing you, the last time you ate was probably two days ago.” 

Tony opens his mouth to protest but is swiftly interrupted. 

“Don’t you dare tell me I’m wrong,” she retorts. 

Tony huffs a little indignantly at that and gets up from his seat to embrace her. 

"Fine. I’ll go eat but I’m only doing so because I love it when you dote on me.” 

Pepper playfully rolls her eyes and pulls away from his embrace to make her way towards the door. 

“That’s right. Lap it up now because it’s not going to last.” 

She hears her boyfriends footsteps follow behind her along with the sound of his laugh, much lighter than it was minutes ago. 

_And he’s back,_ she thinks as they make their way upstairs together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I appreciate your comments and kudos <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies are made. 
> 
> Sort of?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm starting to think that I should have left my first chapter as a cliff hanger-y one shot because I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING NOW. 
> 
> I'll just put a warning that this story has kinda gotten out of control and this is the last chapter because my brain is doing it zero favours from here on out. 
> 
> That being said, Enjoy. LOL

Seconds after Tony stalks off, Steve immediately feels guilty. He stays rooted in his spot, continuing to stare into the space the other man previously occupied, wondering whether he should have gone after him.

He doesn’t get the chance to make that decision when he’s led to the communal kitchen by Clint and Natasha, both of whom have seemed to recover from the argument already.

Clint perhaps more so than Natasha, currently bombarding the rest of them with questions for lunch and what he should eat. Natasha, though remaining largely unconcerned, heads into the kitchen with a more subtle type of hesitance not seen in Clint.

Steve lets himself become immersed in Clint’s constant chatter while his thoughts go back to the argument with Tony. He honestly hadn’t been trying to upset the genius because for all his faults and personality quirks, Tony never intentionally disobeyed orders, and deep down, Steve can understand his obsessive need to be protective of his teammates. He just wishes the other man would learn to be more tactful about it.

Contrary to what he might have believed, Steve wasn’t mad at Tony, he was just scared that his teammate’s erratic decision making would one day hurt someone, or worse, hurt himself, and the Captain is unwilling to let that happen under his leadership. After all, it’s his job to both lead the team and ensure their safety. If he can’t do those things, then he’s failing his responsibilities.

Captain America does not fail responsibilities.

So, all things considered, maybe Steve had been too harsh on Tony earlier and accusing him of not caring was definitely the wrong thing to say. Over the months that followed New York, the Captain had the opportunity to learn a lot about the people he works with, what with all the team building exercises and causal movie nights. Of course, Tony wasn’t always there for all them, usually caught up in other business (he _does_ have a company to run), so it stands to reason that there were still some gaps in their professional and personal relationship. And when he thinks back to that initial explosive interaction with Tony on the Heli carrier, he’s reminded of how easy it is to misjudge the other man when you don’t know enough about him.

Hence, Steve figures that today just happened to be another opportunity where he learned how _not_ to teach Tony Stark a lesson, and that in order to do so, he’s going to have to try a different approach. Maybe that starts with meeting Tony where he’s at, instead of expecting him to catch up with the rest of them.

Starting with whatever the hell Natasha was thinking by encouraging Tony to hurt himself.

Steve would never admit it out loud, least of all to the two people who just left, but the cold ease with which Natasha offered her gun to Tony was, quite frankly, terrifying to witness. And when he saw the look on the other man’s face and the way his face had crumpled, Steve knew something potentially irreparable had occurred.

Steve likes to think that Clint and Natasha are not cruel people, _despite_ the evident ruthlessness displayed by Natasha earlier. That perhaps they’ve simply been moulded by cruelty their whole lives and tend to forget the fact that other have not. This is why he believes that Natasha, for all her fear inducing qualities, never means for legitimate harm to befall others and is simply oblivious of the effect her candid approach to violence has on the people around her. She’s so used to dealing with catastrophic outcomes that the notion of killing oneself doesn’t offend her and she makes the mistake of assuming the same to be for others.

As for Clint, Steve’s not sure the archer realizes how similar he and Tony are. The very things that Clint despises Stark for sometimes are the very same afflictions Clint suffers from: pride. Those two men are in many ways cut from the same cloth and seeing them butt heads over their bruised egos becomes less and less amusing to watch each time. He truly believes that Clint holds Tony to a standard that he holds himself to, ignoring the assumption that for all their similarities, they’re still vastly different people.

And then to top it all off, Steve now learns that Tony is in fact _not_ an Avenger and has the unique displeasure of learning it from Natasha, no less. He’s going to have to talk to her about keeping such secrets from him in the future.

But the knowledge that Tony’s been functioning in the capacity of a consultant this whole time only proves to increase his anxiety all that much more. It was different when he thought Tony was an Avenger, someone who had ultimately signed up for the danger they face, but to learn that he’s not even that concerns him for several reasons.

One, _why_ is Tony not an official member of the team? Steve may be ‘old’ but his memory’s still intact and he distinctly recalls a certain iron clad hero fly a nuke into space. One would think that’s the ultimate qualifying factor. Secondly, why didn’t Tony say anything? It certainly makes more sense now why he was away so often, unable to participate in the very team bonding exercises that might have avoided this whole misunderstanding in the first place. But for a man who complains about everything, he oddly failed to mention something that important.

Steve is itching to confront Tony _now_ , to barge into his lab where he’s undoubtedly locked up and tell him how sorry he is. He shouldn’t have dismissed him like that and all he wanted was for Tony to understand that no matter their differences, Steve is never going to put him in position of vulnerability. But he supposes that it matters less now considering the vulnerable position Tony was put in yesterday.

Resolved to pursue this further, Steve decides to give Tony space for the time being. Confronting him is obviously not the most effective approach, evidenced by the disaster from a while ago. Not wanting to make the same mistake, the Captain tells himself that this conversation will be easier to have after a good night’s sleep.

He looks out towards the common room and sees Natasha and Clint lounging on the couches with a movie playing in the background. Neither are really paying attention to it, Clint busy with his phone and Natasha buried in a book. He considers joining them but is suddenly aware of how exhausted he is and makes his way towards his room instead. It’s not very late in the evening, but the sky has darkened outside enough to make him feel sleepy. What with all the physical and mental exhaustion, it’s not unusual for Steve to turn in so early. It’s the one thing about him that Tony loves to make fun of, often joking about how he’s such a grandpa for sleeping at nine PM.

Without bidding good night to the others, he leaves the communal kitchen with thoughts of Tony running through his mind.

* * *

The next morning, Steve is the first to wake. The sun is streaming in through the window as J.A.R.V.I.S. announces the time and date to him, followed by the weather. It’s early in the morning still, around five AM which is typical for him on an average day. He’s usually out for a run by now but for some reason, he’s just not feeling it and the exhaustion from the night before doesn’t seem to have vanished.

The day goes by in relative silence. He meets with Natasha and Clint at some point in the day and they have a short sparring session together. Usually, they try to keep it a group activity with all the avengers but Bruce has been out of town for a couple of weeks and Thor hasn’t returned from Asgard yet, so they end up training with just the three of them present.

Nobody had mentioned Tony during this time either, likely because of the awkwardness of having to recount yesterday’s events. Steve tried to bring him up once but didn’t get far in his sentence before Natasha was looking at him strangely. She didn’t seem upset in the sense of anger but more in the sense of regret, and Steve hazards she had time to really think about what happened. If regret is the outcome of that, then a tiny, quiet part of him feels a little bit relieved by her self-awareness. Hopefully, this means he can have a sincere conversation with her about expressing her thoughts and emotions more appropriately, though he doubts it would be easy in any context.

The group disperses after about an hour and Steve spends his time reading or working on his art. Art has been the only consistent part of his life since waking from the ice, and he always makes sure to revisit it when he gets the chance. Art is the only part of his life most familiar to him and when he feels especially out of time, sketching helps reel him back to the present. It’s easy for Steve to get lost in the process and it’s not long before lunch time rolls around when he decides to grab some food from the kitchen.

He still has a fair distance to go till he reaches the kitchen but his super hearing picks up on a familiar voice he didn’t expect to hear for another few weeks, at least. His suspicions are confirmed when upon entering, he’s met with the sight of Tony and Pepper having lunch together, engaged in a lighthearted conversation as Tony smiles wide.

Steve hangs back a bit, not making his presence immediately known, content to simply observe a version of Tony he hasn’t been privileged to witness. It’s nice, seeing him relax for once with his metaphorical walls lowered and personality out in the open. It’s in times like these that Steve really, truly, appreciates Pepper Potts, serving as the constant pillar by his side and making sure the man takes care of himself.

Though they can rely on Pepper to communicate their differences, this time Steve knows that she shouldn’t have to be cleaning up what was ultimately _their_ mess, and he’s resolved to make it right.

Stepping into the kitchen fully, Pepper is the first to notice him. She smiles at him brightly as her hand squeezes Tony’s reassuringly.

“Hi, Steve. Did you have lunch yet?”

He steals a quick glance at Tony, who continues to eat as though Steve wasn’t there. Turning back to Pepper, he notices her looking at him with a knowing smile, subtly shaking her head to say _not now._

Feeling slightly disheartened, Steve nods in understanding and carefully moves towards the fridge.

“Um, no, not yet. I just came by to grab a quick bite,” he answers.

“Do you want me to fix you something? I’m sure there’s enough ingredients to cook up some kind of dish,” she says, already twisting out of her seat.

Steve is quick to stop her however, assuring her that there’s no need to go out of her way. She offers him a friendly smile and turns back to her food, but not before informing him the leftover pasta in the fridge if he wants it.

He can’t help but smile at the sheer generosity that Pepper emanates and while it was nice of her to offer cooking, his appetite has somewhat vanished anyway.

After Steve has fixed a sandwich for himself, he internally debates whether he should sit in the common room or just eat at the table like normal. The decision is made for him when Pepper gestures for him to sit down and join them. He looks a bit hesitantly towards Tony, who to his surprise, is already watching him. Tony seems doubtful for a second but then raises a brow in the Captain’s direction who then promptly takes a seat across from him.

There’s a brief moment of awkward silence with the three them choosing to focus on their food. Pepper, for all her wonders, is clearly letting Tony take the reign with this one and Steve thinks they must be having some kind of telepathic conversation.

When the silence stretches on for too long, Steve begins to feel more and more restless, with all the words he wants to say to the other man bubbling up in his chest, threatening to spill if he doesn’t talk soon. His restlessness must have been obvious because the other two occupants are staring at him strangely, like a nervous toddler getting ready to confess his crime. He stares back at them and looks at Tony intensely, trying to convey his sincerity and guilty through his eyes alone.

It must have worked because Tony’s face does something strange where instead of the apprehension from earlier, he seems amused. This gives Steve the courage to finally break the silence.

“Tony, listen, about yesterday, I just wanted to say that I’m so, so sorry.” The weight in his chest doesn’t immediately disappear but when Tony doesn’t yell back, he hopes that this conversation has potential.

Tony, on the other hand, was not expecting _Captain America_ to be the one apologizing. The genius had a whole speech lined up in his head, even learned to swallow his pride long enough to apologize for his actions during battle, making promises to _do_ better and _be_ better. The furthest possibility in his mind was for _Steve_ to be apologizing to _him._

“Why on Earth would you be sorry?” he questions.

Something about the incredulity and awe in Tony’s voice at having been apologized to just makes Steve feel overwhelmed at the idea that no one has ever apologized to him before.

“For everything. For not taking the time to ask you about your side of the story. For accusing you of not caring. For the…thing that happened with Natasha.”

His voice lowers to a whisper at that last part, nervous of the reaction it might elicit. Fortunately, there’s no explosive reaction and instead, Tony simply lowers his eyes and nods in a gesture to accept Steve’s apology. But Steve isn’t finished and pushes forward.

“And worst of all, for not knowing you weren’t an Avenger.”

Tony looks up abruptly. Because while he accepted that Steve was apologizing for _his own_ actions or even on behalf of Clint and Natasha, he wasn’t prepared for him to apologize about something that wasn’t even in his control.

“You don’t have to apologize for that Cap,” he says. “I agreed to be a consultant, that was _my_ decision.”

“Somehow, I think you’re sugar-coating what exactly you agreed to.”

“He is,” comes a new voice. Natasha emerges from the corner of the entry way, moving to stand in front of the table but refusing to take a seat. She smiles softly at Pepper before speaking.

“He didn’t exactly agree to be a consultant and I may or may not have had a hand in that.” Her voice is soft and the words are spoken quietly, laced with a hint of remorse.

Tony’s posture shifts, like he’s ready to bolt any second. The tension from yesterday has clearly carried over and Steve doesn’t blame him, though he hopes the other man stays long enough for a conversation to be had.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Steve responds.

“I mean that I’m the one who recommended against Stark being an official avenger, back when he was dying from palladium poisoning at which point Fury brought him on as a consultant instead.”

A silence descends as they consider her words. Steve didn’t know about any palladium poisoning, let alone any instance of the genius dying and the worry from before bubbles in his chest again. Tony, noticing the panic on Cap’s face, is quick to reassure him.

“I’m fine. I’m not dying, it’s all fixed now. Good as new. Well, not new but definitely better than dying.” His rambling is cut short when Natasha continues.

“But I’ve since been proven wrong and I suppose it’s my mistake for not correcting him sooner.”

The man in question sighs loudly, getting tired of the constant pity he’s receiving from all sides. Tony’s not a helpless and injured man and he’s perfectly capable of speaking up for himself. Not to mention that the whole ‘consultant business’ wasn’t exactly the reason he was so upset yesterday, and he’s inclined to never bring it up, especially not in present company.

Though the fact that Steve brought it up in his apology likely means there _will_ be a discussion about it. Cap’s just old school like that.

What he _wasn’t_ expecting was for it to be brought up so soon. Natasha moves from her position and takes a seat between Tony and Steve. She meets Tony’s line of sight, forcing him to make eye contact with her which only proves to make him more uncomfortable. Surely, she’s not going to try anything in the presence of both Pepper and Steve?

She doesn’t. Instead, her face becomes soft, her eyes regarding him with a sincerity he didn’t think she was capable of. She continues to stare for a moment before raising a delicate hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

Tony’s breath gets stuck in his throat in nervous anticipation as she continues.

“I shouldn’t have been so reckless with my words yesterday. Sometimes I forget you use self-deprecating humor to deflect from what you’re really feeling, and I’ll try to be less scary about it from now on.”

There’s a twinkle in her eye, like she’s trying to say something without really saying it which only makes the genius feel as though he should be offended, but he recognizes that as Natasha-speak for _I misread the situation and made a mistake._ Tony also knows firsthand how difficult is to apologize, unfamiliar with the idea in general, so he appreciates her apology regardless of what form it takes.

Relaxing his posture a bit, Tony nods his head in acceptance, offering her a hint of his charming smile.

“I hear you loud and clear, double agent. And I don’t deflect,” he protests.

“You did just now.”

“Did not.”

Steve watches in soft amusement as the two of them resume their friendly bickering. It’s not exactly how he expected this conversation to go but he’s not going to be the one to ruin the moment, so he leaves it be. That only leaves one other person who’s suspiciously not in the room.

He’s distracted from thinking about it further when Tony gets up to put his and Pepper’s plate in the sink. It’s only in that moment that the Captain has noticed Pepper is no longer in the room, likely having gone to deal with Stark Industries business.

That woman is always on the move.

Once Tony places the dishes in the sink, he turns around with his hands on his hips and stares intensely at the ceiling. Sighing loudly, he pulls the chair previous occupied by Pepper away from the table and positions it directly under one of the ceiling vents.

Steve observes in confusion as Natasha looks on with a knowing smile. He’s about to ask Tony what he’s doing when suddenly Clint hops down from the vent and onto the chair beneath him. He lands in a crouch directly in front of Tony as a result, and the two of them stare at each other with neutral expressions.

Clint remains still, hands grabbing the back of the chair which happens to be in front of him, when Tony speaks first.

“Apology accepted.”

“But he didn’t say anything.”

Tony shushes Steve without taking his eyes off of Clint who’s now smiling wide.

“Can I at least say what I’m sorry for?” asks Clint.

“No need, you and I both know you’d be apologizing for the wrong thing anyway.”

Clint playfully rolls his eyes and extends a friendly hand towards the genius, who stares at the hand for a second before reaching out to shake it firmly as the two of them share a smile. When they break off, Tony points a mischievous finger in the archer’s face, jokingly threatening to add glitter to his explosive arrows. Clint plays along and protests loudly, already back to his incessant whining as Natasha sighs and leaves the room.

Steve remains sitting in his seat, stunned by the odd progression of events. He was expecting a serious, in depth conversation about trust, honesty, and the importance of communication but instead, he got three emotionally stunted adults skirting around the words they needed to say.

He supposes that holding three superheroes to such conventional standards was what got them into this whole mess in the first place, and he considers it a small mercy that he didn’t need to intervene.

Sighing, Steve stands up from his seat and follows Clint and Tony into the common area, stowing away his lecture on emotional maturity for another day.

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry to disappoint y'all with this weird ending but I just didn't know what to doooooooo.


End file.
